Metro Detroit young adults set to 'March for the Future of Mass Transit'

With a regional transit authority on the horizon for Metro Detroit and surrounding counties, a group of young adults plans to march in Ferndale to see that their voices are heard. The message is simple: "Bring mass transit to our communities."

The Metro Coalition of Congregations' Young Adult Caucus will take to the streets at 2:30 p.m. Sunday at St. James Catholic Church, Pearson Ave., Ferndale.

Marchers will begin at the church and walk along Nine Mile Road and Woodward Avenue, carrying signs that -- in the spirit of social media outlet Twitter -- call for a "#TrulyRegionalRTA."

With the rally, the MCC hopes to promote placement of clergy members and young adults on the future authority's Citizen's Advisory Council and the board.

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Crystal Balogh, 25, co-chairwoman of the MCC's Young Adult Caucus, said she immediately identified with the MCC group's goals.

"I lived in Washington, D.C., and the transit there was really great," said Balogh, a Hazel Park resident. "I didn't have a car, I just used the commuter train and metro transit to get where I needed to go."

She said when she moved back to Michigan in May 2012, she realized how valuable mass transportation really was. Taking the buses in downtown Detroit were not the solution.

"For someone like me who doesn't have a car, it's very hard to get around," she said. "It's been too long ... this system is not working."

Participating in the march will be representatives from University of Michigan-Dearborn, Youth Voice, EPIC, Trans4M and other groups.

While the event is headlined as a young-adults march, participants of all ages are encouraged to attend this free event.

"From the beginning, the older population has voiced their opinion that mass transit is something they've waited for, for years," Balogh said. "Many of them talk about the glimpse of hope they saw in Detroit around the '70s ... that went down the drain."

Community organizer Shauna Rushing, 35, said the MCC expects as many as 100 people to show up on Sunday to march.

Like Balogh, Rushing recently moved to the area. But unlike Balogh, she wasn't a Michigan native. As a newcomer from Boulder, Colo., she was shocked at Detroit's lack of mass transportation.

"My family was able to get around just fine with one car in Boulder," she said. "We recently had to get another car after the move to Detroit."

She added that even students -- some at Oakland University -- have also spoken out, saying their attempts at using mass transit, such as buses, have been futile.

They've said "there isn't even a stop within three miles of their house," Rushing added .

Local businesses would benefit greatly from a light rail, she said.

Following the rally, the MCC will be holding its first official meeting.

The MCC -- a coalition of religious congregations -- is a special interest group funded by the nonprofit Harriet Tubman Center that is recently focused on four issues: foreclosure, health care, gun violence and mass transit. The interfaith organization focuses on these issues throughout Oakland, Macomb and Wayne counties.

Light rail or bus rapid transit?

Mass transit is a topic that has been debated in the Metro Detroit area for years -- and many are surprised nothing has come to fruition, especially in Detroit.

There may be hope for mass transit throughout the tri-county area, said Oakland County Chief Deputy County Executive Gerald Poisson. But it won't come overnight.

When Gov. Rick Snyder passed a December bill that brought the regional transit authority -- encompassing Oakland, Macomb, Washtenaw and Wayne counties -- hope began to rise for a light rail, or bus rapid transit system, in the near future.

Then, in January, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced $31 million in federal funds for the M-1 Woodward Avenue light rail project and additional transportation initiatives to supplement the streetcar system. The 3.3-mile light rail circulator will have 11 stations on Woodward running from downtown to the New Center district, according to U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.

While the light rail system and RTA remain separate for now, Poisson said the change won't be easy.

"The RTA will have a huge challenge simply in deciding how it will implement mass transit," Poisson said.

While a light rail is enticing for the younger generation, he thinks the bus rapid transit system is the most viable plan for Oakland County, he said. It entails a system of busses on line that move in dedicated lanes.

"Think of it as a train on tires," he explained.

He said the bus rapid-transit system will be more cost effective, and will be more functional, especially within Oakland County.

"More than 79 percent of the jobs (in Metro Detroit) are 10 miles or more from the city center," he said. "Why would we ever invest in a light rail when you need flexibility to go to these outstretched communities?"

While Oakland County hasn't yet appointed board members to the newly formed RTA, he said he doesn't doubt the MCC will get representation on the transit authority Citizen's Advisory Council.

As far as an appointment to the formal business entity -- another aim of the MCC's rally -- Poisson said the county will move forward with the usual appointing of someone who has the experience in running a business, but will take the coalition's concerns under advisement.

To learn more about transportation in the Metro Detroit area, visit semcog.org.